The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that schools assist students with disabilities to develop independent living skills and abilities essential to succeed in most of their life's endeavors. According to the law, each student with a disability must have an individualized education program (IEP), and the IEP must address…

As more students with special educational needs attend mainstream schools, it is critical that the role and operation of special schools be examined. This article reports on two case studies, one special school in England and one in Ireland, which formed part of a national review of the role of special schools and special classes in Ireland. Two…

Students served in alternative and segregated settings tend to receive educational services that are not on par with their public school peers. To develop a better understanding of the problem, the authors conducted a national study of secondary psychiatric schools in the United States. Specifically, the authors administered a survey to…

What would schools and classrooms look like if they truly mirrored our democratic ideals? In this issue of the Occasional Papers, five authors explore current and historical questions related to the inclusion of children with disabilities in public schools. The history of educating children with disabilities--an ongoing civil rights issue--has…

The "special" quality of special education is the body of knowledge, skills, and attitudes which are used in the education and training of exceptional school children. In practice, these children have been those who public school systems could not or would not teach. The history of education for exceptional children is a simple story of massive…

This bulletin is a report of one of those side issues, or by-products, of a piece of scientific work which often proves to be more important than the main issue. When, in 1916, the psychological laboratory of the Vocation Bureau of Cincinnati (Ohio) was given an official position in the public-school system, the first task assigned it was that of…

Selected readings treat education of the emotionally disturbed. Aspects considered include the problems the emotionally disturbed pose for the school (10 articles) and approaches to their education, including theory, day classes in regular schools, special schools, and residential centers (three, eight, five, and six articles respectively).…

Every child has characteristics, interests, abilities, and desires of his own. This is true of a child with a visual handicap whether the handicap is a mild one, correctable with glasses or treatment, or one as severe as blindness. A physical limitation, however, may adversely affect an individual's development, especially if proper help is not…

For the past decade the Office of Education has periodically compiled statistics dealing with special schools and classes for exceptional children. During that time the importance of adjusting instructional procedures to meet the needs of individual boys and girls has been increasingly stressed in the general philosophy of education. Inherent in…